Little Heart's Ease

Royal City | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 8, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sanctuary Records
• ASIN: B000267JPG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #503,330 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Royal City, the Soundtrack for Lazy Days, October 17, 2005

By 

Liz H. "Writer, poet, and music lover" (Iowa City, IA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Heart's Ease (Audio CD)

It's a travesty how unrecognized Royal City is. The indie-folk-twang-rock quartet out of Toronto has a sound that captures the listener. Whereas "At Rush Hour The Cars" has a shy and reclusive sound, and the bluesy "Alone At the Microphone" mellifluously howls and begs for forgiveness, "Little Heart's Ease" has a different tone. One could not say it's a brighter tone, but the music has a greater deal of momentum and a more complex harmony, departing from its lo-fi, banjo-strumming days. Now taking a more deliberate and composed stance on the music, these twelve tracks capture Royal City's rock identity. These songs blend together deliciously. A truly wonderful album by a band that deserves a greater level of appreciation, and a must-buy for any folk-rock fan.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A strong third album, December 17, 2004

By 

Wylie Pettibone (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Heart's Ease (Audio CD)

Recently I took out RC's first album, a relatively unknown title called, "At Rush Hour the Cars" (Three Gut Records), and realized anew what a dang good album it is. This country-indie-rock band, originally from Toronto, received lots of praise for their second album, a down-in-the-dirt-with-arms-toward-heaven rock piece called "Alone at the Microphone." With this album, "Little Heart's Ease" -- folks are left with a beautiful little piece of work on their hands, and no one knows what to do with it. Is it because the songs are generally about healing, softer questions, and coming home? Or that "Little Hearts' Ease" doesn't howl like a wolf and careen down the highway the way it did on "Alone..."? Or that the half-dazed, half-dropped lyricism of "At Rush Hour..." (which I've realized I love)is exchanged for a tighter, spared down set of songs? I don't know, but I have to say, I think "Little Heart's Ease" is really quite good. The guitar work on "Jerusalem" makes the song rock..."Count the Days" is an incredible song..."Enemy" is a slower stunner..."O Beauty" is barely there and strange. And yes, OK, I may miss the yowls of "Alone...", and the slow drone of "At Rush Hour...", but I happily sip my coffee and read my New Yorker to the tight depth and brevity of "Little Heart's Ease."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Polished Rock and Pleasant Roll, October 20, 2004

By 

Griff T. (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Heart's Ease (Audio CD)

I just came upon this CD -- it was a recommendation from my friend in NYC, who apparently used to see them play quite a lot in NYC -- where are you now Royal City? He talks of quite a devoted NYC crowd, even though they're Canadian, and folks getting up and chanting the words to songs. I haven't heard "Alone at the Microphone", which my friend also recommended, but "Little Heart's Ease" is one of the strangest records I've ever heard. Its not that this album is perfect, but there are some really wonderful musical moments. I'm thinking of the second track, "Jerusalem," which is as close to a perfect rock song as I've heard since Black Sabbath, Fairies Wear Boots. Count the Days is also pretty incredible -- I mean, I'm not sure if he's singing about Jesus or what, but this song runs from almost a lullaby into an exploding rock song. I also like Bring My Father a Gift, Cabbage Rolls, and Ain't That the Way. Enemy and O Beauty are OK. All in all these songs seem important for this band, and they definitely hold their own together or one by one.